Pundits have named the Bush White House "the most political ever" but there must be some limit to the politics. Surely, the Bushies don't have the horsepower to turn every decision into payola.

But then there is this. First, we have the absurd "Ready Campaign" announced by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge yesterday. Ridge outlined steps Americans could take to prepare for disasters including a kit with first aid equipment, food and water for three days, duct tape and plastic sheeting. The New York Times reports that this recommendation was made by Ralph E. Gomory, the president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Dr. Gomory, 73, who was the senior vice president for science and technology at I.B.M. on retirement and who, as part of his work at the foundation, made a list of twenty suggestions for citizens that could reduce their risks in terrorist attacks.

As people stampeded Home Depot, stores sold out of duct tape and plastic sheeting.

"This means the only people who are going to survive an attack are serial killers," Jay Leno said. "Who else has duct tape and plastic sheeting in their car?" Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, said, "We did not create a new Department of Homeland Security just to be told, 'Buy duct tape and plastic.'"

Even Mr. Ridge had to back pedal. "Don't use it!" Ridge said Wednesday. "Stash it away."

So, why was this particular suggestion (out of twenty) publicized? Could it be that 50% of the duct tape sold in America is manufactured by Henkel Consumer Adhesives Inc., an Ohio firm owned by one Jack Kahl, and that Mr. Kahl happens to be a major GOP supporter and contributor.

This must be a joke. I initially thought the administration was parodying itself, except that, like the UN inspectors and Iraqi WMDs, I have been unable to detect any sense of humor in this crowd. They're just venal and plain sleazy.

It's bad enough that that the terrorist alerts are based on phony information and that the Dept. of Justice falsely inflates arrest and conviction data to make terrorism cases and DOJ effectiveness appear higher. Now, do we have public pronouncements of the Department of Homeland Security manipulated to inflate the profits of GOP-linked corporations? Maybe, Homeland Security is the latest plank in Bush's stimulus package. DHS keeps up the drumbeat of alerts as a counter point to DOD's drumbeats of war. Meanwhile the Antichrist at DOJ systematically strips us of our rights. And people are buying it!

What does one wear with orange?